Diablos del Sol | Arizona State Sun Devils

[redsox907]

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Arizona State Turning To Plan B

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With Swain and others looking elsewhere, ASU relies on familiarity

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The Devil's Due Mailbag — Offseason Transfer Portal Coverage By Diego Alfaro

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Nearly everything was lining up for the Arizona State Sun Devils in the transfer portal. They're currently the favorites to land a number of their targets, including Austin Mack and Luke Ferrelli.

The other shoe has just dropped.

ASU entered the transfer portal wanting to add at least two starting caliber cornerbacks in the portal. Weis Jr. and his staff went aggressively after former South Carolina CB Vicari Swain, Buffalo's Kodi Blackwell, and VTech's Cam Chadwick. According to a source inside the Sun Devils program, they've received word that all three targets are exploring other options, with Arizona State 'off the table.'

Instead of wallowing in their loss, Weis Jr. pressed forward thanks to the advice of a new staffer.

"He was adamant about bringing him in for a workout from the beginning," noted the source, "Weis Jr. assured him he'd get a look, but wanted to press for the higher touted prospects."

"He" refers to newly appointed defensive back coach Patrick Surtain Sr. "Him" refers to the man that Surtain Sr. not only recruited at Florida State, but coached as well.

JaBril Rawls.

The 6'1 cornerback was the primary nickel corner for the Seminoles last year, recording 80 tackles and two interceptions during the season. Ultimately, Rawls wanted to enter the portal in search of a better scheme fit for his abilities, and Surtain Sr. certainly thinks it's in Tempe.

"He's physical, aggressive, and isn't scared to put his face in the fan," repeated one scout with knowledge of Surtain Sr.'s pitch to Weis Jr. "He needs to work on his man-coverage skills, but that's something Surtain Sr. thinks he can help polish."

In addition to Rawls, the Sun Devils have invited Kansas State corner Zashon Rich to Tempe as well, hoping to bolster their depth with the current Wildcat.

While their loss in the cornerback market slowed some of their momentum in the portal, Weis Jr. came right back.

The Sun Devils are now reportedly in the mix for both Keon Keeley and Myles Graham, from Notre Dame and Florida respectively.

Keeley was a rotation pass-rusher for the Fighting Irish this season, recording 43 tackles, 3 TFLs, and a sack for the top-ranked Irish defense. With a crowded rotation in front of him, Keeley left South Bend in search of more playing time and an ideal fit.

"If he goes to Tempe, they expect him to slide right into the spot vacated by Emar'rion Winston," noted the source.

Meanwhile, Myles Graham is expected to join Martell Hughes, and hopefully Luke Ferrelli, to form one of the most formidable linebacking groups in the Big XII.

Listen, losing out on the top corners in the portal is rough. But, here's what is encouraging. We pivoted quickly and aren't only looking at grabbing a few high-upside corners, but continuing to stack talent at linebacker and on the defensive line. The best way to make a suspect secondary look passable? Get after the passer.

With the transfer portal in full swing, we should start seeing players make their commitments official in the coming days. If recent reports are any indication, it'll be a busy day for the ASU admissions staff sooner than later.

[supahotfire]

Rawls should be a nice addition to the squad. I like it

[redsox907]

Rawls should be a nice addition to the squad. I like it

I was pleasantly surprised, honestly. He is a 2* but came in rated dece

[redsox907]

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Weis Jr. Era Starts With A Bang

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Arizona State pulls in 40th-overall class, buoyed by 6th-overall transfer class

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The Devil's Due Mailbag — Season Preview By Diego Alfaro

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When the Early Signing period in December came to a close, the Arizona State Sun Devils had a top-50 rated class, despite not signing a single recruit above three stars. Then, Kenny Dillingham left and those in Tempe worried their recruiting momentum would go with him.

Wrong.

Charlie Weis Jr. didn't only stabilize recruiting when he arrived on campus—the Sun Devils didn't lose a single recruit after Dillingham's departure—but he aggressively sought out talent in the transfer portal.

The fruits of his labor?

The sixth-overall ranked transfer portal class alongside the 40th-ranked recruiting class in the country, all without signing a player above three-stars.

"Dilly started it, and Weis drove it home," marveled Josh Omura when speaking about the recruiting success. "Obviously, everybody in house played a role. But Weis Jr. was relentless in the transfer portal, determined to absorb some of the string from what left to the draft."

It's safe to say the Sun Devils absorbed their departing production, and then some.

In all, Arizona State added a whopping thirteen players via the transfer portal, spread nearly equally between the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Offensively, Weis Jr. went into the portal wanting to accomplish two things.

"Get someone to compete with Jake Fette, and shore up the trenches."

Check and check.

Austin Mack comes over from Alabama with little production, but a lot of upside, and is expected to contend with Jake Fette for the starting quarterback job in camp.

With the QB position addressed, Weis Jr. turned to Ethan MacKenny to shore up the trenches.

"The only problem I see is that Mackenny is a road grader. You'd think that Weis would be looking to turn Arizona State into Dubai International Airport with a dynamic passing attack," cautioned one scout with On3.

"Now, if he's leaning into what Arizona State did best last year, and is equipped to repeat this year, it'll be an astounding amount of self-awareness for such a young coach to scrap his identity, for what helps the team."

Joining the pair in Tempe will be a trio of wide receivers—Cam'Ron Lacy, Zay Robinson, and Jerome Bettis Jr.—along with the versatile and uber-athletic Austin Carlisle from ULM.

"Weis went out and got the quarterback. Solidified the line. And got a variety of weapons. He'll have to play with the pieces this spring to see where they all fit, but you can't say they didn't add some oomph to their offense this cycle."

Defensively, the Sun Devils whiffed on their biggest need: cornerback.

"ASU was more aggressive than perhaps anyone in regards to the mid-tier corners," noted the same On3 scout, "they just went up against some buzzsaws."

Vicari Swain, Cam Chadwick, Kodi Blackwell, and Cree Thomas were all early targets that Weis Jr. and his staff heavily pursued.

Ultimately, they pivoted to JaBril Rawls and Zashon Rich.

"In the grand scheme of things, both Rawls and Rich are quality players that will likely slide right into the starting lineup."

"But when you aim as high as they did to start the portal, you've got to be a little disappointed with how they finished, at least for cornerbacks."

The scout added the final tidbit because outside of cornerbacks, the Sun Devils added some ballers.

Luke Ferrelli, Myles Graham, Keon Keeley and Quintavius Johnson are all heading to Tempe, injecting the Devils defense with SEC talent across the board.

"That's what schools in Arizona State's position need to do. Identify guys with a talent who flake out of SEC and Big Ten schools, then bring them in and let them run wild."

It's early in the Weis Jr. era, but if the early indications are any sign of what's to come, the train doesn't stop here in Tempe.

2026 Recruiting Class of 2030

Arizona State Sun Devils Recruiting Board

Player	Pos	St	★	Natl	St Rk	Pos Rk	ASU Rank	Stage
Fredrick McNutt	ATH	CT	3	365	2	35	1st	Committed
Tahj Cheeseman	DE	FL	3	403	46	38	1st	Committed
Jose Swoope	MLB	LA	3	412	15	21	1st	Committed
Cecil Queen	FS	AL	3	434	12	17	1st	Committed
Leo Merrick	T	WA	3	439	7	34	1st	Committed
Barry Seitz	LB	AZ	3	449	5	34	1st	Committed
Kenyon Brink	DT	TX	3	470	52	28	1st	Committed
Taylor Faulk	HB	IA	3	476	7	67	1st	Committed
Donnie Morris	LB	CA	3	477	50	40	1st	Committed
Ahmad Malik	CB	AZ	3	514	6	46	1st	Committed
Mike Hendricks	DE	OH	3	552	21	54	1st	Committed
Markelle Hughes	WR	NE	3	584	1	104	1st	Committed
Nick Nava	ATH	NV	3	654	8	44	1st	Committed
Byron Higdon	ATH	AZ	3	679	11	91	1st	Committed
Jamerson Bettis	WR	HI	3	769	6	139	1st	Committed
Alex Hoke	QB	AAZ	3	993	19	61	1st	Committed
Juan Yeast	T	CA	3	995	89	66	1st	Committed
Maurice Stewart	WR	AZ	3	1148	23	201	1st	Committed
Vernon Toone	TE	AZ	3	1171	24	70	1st	Committed

2026 Recruiting Class of Transfer Portal

Arizona State Sun Devils Recruiting Board

Player	Pos	Prev. School	★	2026 Stats
Ethan Mackenney	T	Georgia Tech	3	6 Sacks
Luke Ferrelli	MLB	Ole Miss	3	83 Tkl, 5 TFL, INT
Austin Mack	QB	Alabama	3	N/A
Myles Graham	LB	Florida	3	9 Tkl, 5 TFL, 3 Sacks
Keon Keeley	DE	Notre Dame	3	43 Tkl, 3 TFL, Sack
Quintavius Johnson	DE	Georgia	3	22 Tkl, 2 TFL, Sack
Cam'Ron Lacy	WR	Midd Tenn	3	48 Rec, 619 Yds, 5 TD
Zay Robinson	WR	Penn State	3	N/A
Jerome Bettis Jr.	WR	Notre Dame	3	N/A
Austin Carlisle	QB	ULM	3	N/A
JaBril Rawls	CB	FSU	2	60 Tkl, 2 INT
Mason Mini	TE	Ole Miss	2	1 Rec, 17 Yds
Zashon Rich	CB	Kansas State	2	21 Tkl

2026 Recruiting Board

National Transfer Portal Recruiting Board

Player	Pos	Prev. School	New School
Dijon Lee Jr	CB	Alabama	Notre Dame
Michael Fasusi	T	Oklahoma	LSU
Bryce Underwood	QB	Michigan	LSU
Zion Elee	DE	Maryland	Oklahoma
Kaliq Lockett	WR	Texas	LSU
Brandon Arrington	CB	Texas A&M	Texas
Malik Autry	DT	Auburn	Ohio State
Amare Adams	DT	Clemson	Ohio State
Quincy Porter	WR	Notre Dame	Notre Dame
Mark Bowman	TE	USC	Ohio State
Ekene Ogboko	T	Georgia	LSU
LJ McCray	DE	Florida	Ohio State
Naeem Offord	CB	Oregon	LSU
Iose Epenesa	DE	Iowa	Ohio State
Kamario Taylor	QB	Mississippi State	Oregon
Nico Iamaleava	QB	UCLA	Boise State
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele	QB	Cal	USC
Malik Washington	QB	Maryland	Maryland
Micah Alejado	QB	Hawaii	USC
Julian Lewis	QB	Colorado	Maryland
Cutter Boley	QB	Arizona State	North Dakota State
Grayson Rigdon	HB	Arizona State	North Texas
Ashton Stamps	CB	Arizona STate	Alabama

[Captain Canada]

Underwood continues to leave right away

That's one hell of a class, might be able to make a jump this upcoming season.

[Count]

Rawls is a legit top tier CB. He’s a great get

[redsox907]

Underwood continues to leave right away

That's one hell of a class, might be able to make a jump this upcoming season.

if I could pulled my boy into the fold a second time?

I'm pretty happy overall. Was pretty pressed about missing the top CBs, but was actually pretty surprised with Rawls and Rice. They were both 2* CBs, but are about 80 overall before training

Rawls is a legit top tier CB. He’s a great get

he's only an 80 before training, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that with a 2* ranking. He's definitely going to be in the mix to replace Stamps as CB1

[redsox907]

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Austin Mack Setting the Pace At Spring Camp

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Jake Fette showing improved accuracy

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The Devil's Due Mailbag — Season Preview By Diego Alfaro

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Published: March 11th, 2027

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Spring camp has been underway for about a week for the Arizona State Sun Devils and one thing is for sure. They've got a legit quarterback competition on their hands.

Jake Fette stole the starting job from the now departed Cutter Boley midway through the 2026 season and while he played well at times, interceptions were an overwhelming problem.

"Consistency is the biggest key," said newly hired QB coach Tommy Rees after one spring practice, "And you can see it's vastly improved from what I saw last season. He's getting through his reads faster, which means the ball is coming out when it should. He's not throwing to open guys as much as throwing them open now, and that makes a difference."

Fette himself acknowledged a sharp learning curve as a true freshman.

"Anyone who says there isn't is fooling themselves, at least a little bit I think," remarked the sophomore QB. "It's not just the speed of the game, but the players. Everyone is the best of the best from where they come from, usually, so it's not the same kids you've been playing since Pee-Wee ball. I did some good things last year, things I'm proud of, but there were also a lot of boneheaded mistakes."

"It's all about keeping the good while improving the bad," finished the former Del Valle High School standout.

Jake Fette is all about improvement this spring camp, proving to his teammates and himself that he can continue to lead the Sun Devils into the future. Austin Mack is all about showing he's still the dude that was the 230th-ranked prospect coming out of high school in 2023.

"It's exciting, definitely. You get a chance to show new teammates, new coaches, and new fans what you've got. It's a blank slate, so if you put on a show early on, guys remember that," opined Mack after a camp where he was nearly perfect, completing 10 of his 12 passes, including a number of deep throws to Jaren Hamilton—last year's Jet Award winner who figures to be a big part of the passing game with his speed—that drew 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from those in attendance.

"Everything you saw on tape from high school is still there," remarked Ra'Shaad Samples, who helped the Arizona State Sun Devils scout Mack back in 2023 when he was a four-star recruit out of Folsom High School. The Sun Devils weren't a finalist for Mack back then, but Samples is eager to make up for lost time.

"He's got that arm strength you love, but what impresses me is the touch he shows," said Samples, a fact that Tommy Rees doubled down on.

"As a former QB, there's a difference between arm strength, and the ability to use it. Plenty of guys have a cannon that they can't control. He can control it, and put it where he wants."

"That's what we call a sniper rifle in the biz."

It's still early, but across the 20 or so staffers I polled, asking who they would pick if they had a gun to their head to be the starting QB for the 2027 Arizona State Sun Devils, 85% had the same answer.

Austin Mack.

[redsox907]

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Martell Hughes Looking To Make Bigger Impact In 2027

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Hughes was a second team All-American last year, but is eyeing bigger role under Aldridge

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The Devil's Due Mailbag — Season Preview By Diego Alfaro

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Published: March 17th, 2026

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Martell Hughes was expected to form a dynamic trio with Luke Ferrelli and Myles Graham at linebacker, but that pipe dream may never materialize for the Sun Devils, because Josh Aldridge has other ideas.

"He's an excellent athlete, very fluid in space," praised Aldridge, "With our 3-3-5, we prioritize having athletes at all three levels. Because of that, we've been experimenting with Hughes at safety this season."

While Aldridge addressed Hughes' athleticism, the other factor in the move, according to other ASU staffers, is the strong start to camp of local prospect Barry Seitz.

"Seitz came in more ready than any high school prospect I've seen in a number of years," lauded Joey Porter Sr., the Sun Devils outside linebacker coach. "It helps he graduated early, hit a collegiate conditioning program early. It helped him not only bulk up, but gave him time to do it and then get used to moving with it. That's a big part."

With Seitz excelling early in camp, it freed up Aldridge to move Hughes around the defense, his 'secret weapon' this season.

"You look at what Hughes did last year. He got after the quarterback, he stuffed the run, he dropped in coverage, the whole package," observed Aldridge.

It was Hughes who intercepted Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed in the Liberty Bowl last year, dropping into zone coverage, before taking the pick to the house. It was a play that flipped the momentum for the Sun Devils, and the ASU staff is banking on more plays like it in the future.

Hughes was receptive of the move when speaking after camp earlier this week.

"I mean, whatever coaches need. Just get me on the field and point me in the right direction," laughed the linebacker, who admitted he called last year's starting safety Lyrick Rawls for advice.

"I called L, picked his brain a bit. There's more nuanced coverage concepts as a safety than I deal with as a linebacker, true enough. But, aside from that, same idea."

"Confuse the quarterback and capitalize."

Aldridge confirmed that while Hughes will likely line up as a strong safety primarily, he'll be deployed all across the defense.

"We've got a lot of athletic guys on the roster, and the whole staff and I are burning the midnight oil trying to find ways to get all of these guys on the field and impacting the game."

"This is the fun part, finding out how to make the puzzle pieces fit," confessed the new defensive coordinator.

The Sun Devils added the talent in the portal, and now, they're being proactive to make sure they're all set to succeed. The bar is already set pretty low by last year's bottom-ranked unit, but if early indications ring true, they're well on their way to improving in a big way in 2027.